This invention relates to heated dispensers and in particular to hand held heated dispensers for use with chocolate products and other confectionaries.
The desire to decorate a cake, gingerbread house or other such dessert is probably as old as the desserts themselves. Accordingly a variety of devices have been developed to facilitate such decorating.
The most common and probably one of the oldest devices is the manual pastry bag. While it is simple to use, the manual pastry bag has a number of disadvantages. For example, icing or other products such as chocolate must be prepared first, then inserted into a bag portion. It can be operated only intermittently since it must be refilled at intervals. It is messy from filling, refilling and operation due to back flow. It requires a degree of manual dexterity in order to extrude the proper amount of material from the nozzle. The operator may experience fatigue with continual use and the material being extruded tends to change its viscosity due to changes in temperature and drying out of materials. The operator may also experience frustration since the use of different colours or flavours of the material requires preparing and inserting the new material in a new bag. If left overnight, the pastry bag may freeze up and typically the contents of the bag or bags must be thrown out.
The above factors minimize the desire for the average person to participate in the decorating of confections or baked goods. Generally time is the main factor limiting and restricting home use of the manual pastry bag.
There are other devices besides the pastry bag on the market to aid the decorator such as: mixed/packaged icing, ready to use spreadable icing or ready to use icing tubes. Most of theses methods are still a two step method involving time, skill and cleanup. Further using the ready to use icing tubes can be expensive since not only does the user have to purchase each icing tube but also the user must purchase every colour and tip separately.
The traditional methods of decorating with chocolate are spreading it, dipping it and cutting it out, as well as melting it and putting it in a pastry bag and manually squeezing the chocolate out. The latter method is the same manual method traditionally used for icing. Therefore, the same disadvantages as discussed above in regard to icing would apply when using chocolate.
Currently on the market there is another relatively new product for decorating called the Candy Writer(trademark). This product is manufactured by COUNTRY KITCHEN, in Ft. Wayne 46825. This item is available in tubes with screw off tops. Prior to use, the user must place the tube in hot but not boiling water, turn it and knead it to ensure total melting. The tube of confection is not at all pliable at time of purchase. The ingredient list for this product includes: Sugar, Fractionated Palm Oil, Non Fat Dry Milk, Dry Whole Milk, Glycerylacto, Esters of Fatty Acids, Lecithin (an Emulsifier), Salt, also may contain Vanillin, and Artificial Colours and Flavours. Accordingly, the use of this product is very unpredictable and hard to control.
Also on the market is the FUN GUN(trademark) which is a manual decorating apparatus, whereby a user still must insert prepared icing into a cylinder. This device has some advantages over the traditional method of decorating in that the user may have more control. However, this product has similar disadvantages as those associated with the traditional pastry bag method, such as messiness, mulit-step process and no appreciable time savings.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a confectionary dispenser that is easy to use, can easily be used with multiple confectionaries without a lengthy cleaning process therebetween and wherein unused confectionary need not be wasted.
The object of the present invention is to provide a one step, hand-held, time saving decorating confectionary dispenser for decorating bakery and/or confectionary goods, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, durable in structure and efficient in operation for in-home use. Interchangeable conventional nozzle tips can be substituted so as to provide an appropriate configuration or design for the stream of the material which is being emitted from the nozzle portion when the trigger is pulled.
A further object is to provide a confectionary dispenser that can be easily disassembled and reassembled to facilitate cleaning.
A confectionary dispenser for use in association with a confectionary is disclosed. The dispenser includes a body, a movable trigger, a removable internal channel and a feeder mechanism. The trigger is movably attached to the body and has an at rest position and an end of stroke position. The removable internal channel is removably attached to the body. The removable internal channel has an exit opening and is adapted to receive the confectionary. The feeder mechanism is operably attached to the trigger for operably advancing the confectionary into the removable internal channel when the trigger is moved from the at rest position towards the end of stroke position. The confectionary dispenser may include a device for controlling the confectionary that is extruded from the channel at the exit opening. Preferably the confectionary dispenser includes a heater attached to the body which is adapted to heat the confectionary in the removable internal channel. The device may be adapted for use in association with a confectionary stick. Alternatively the device may be adapted for use in association with a confectionary cartridge.
In another aspect of the invention a confectionary cartridge is disclosed. The confectionary cartridge includes side walls, a top, a base, a seal and confectionary. The top has an exit opening formed therein. The base is slidably attached to the side walls wherein the base is slidable towards the exit opening such that the base, side walls and top create an internal volume. The seal is releasably attached to the exit opening. The confectionary is in the internal volume. A variety of confectionary mixtures are disclosed for use in association with the confectionary cartridge.
In a further aspect of the invention a confectionary stick is disclosed. The confectionary stick is for use in association with the confectionary dispenser. The confectionary stick has an elongate stick shape at standard temperature and pressure and a melting point of generally between 38xc2x0 C. and 40xc2x0 C. The confectionary is a generally 1:1 mixture of A and B wherein A is rolled fondant and B is a confectionary coating. The confectionary coating may be a chocolate confectionary coating.
Further features of the invention will be described or will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description.